'De ship actually belongs to ze German Ministry ov Magic.' Krum explained, sitting at the breakfast table with Hermione and her friends. With the rest of the Durmstrang students isolating them from the rest of the Slytherin table, and in the presence of the international quidditch star, not even Malfoy dared protest the Gryffindor presence at the Slytherin table. 'It vas taken by de ICW during the first muggle war, ven dey first heard rumours dat a ship dat couldn't be sunk and never suffered from death vas sailing. Dey investigated and found de ship to be enchanted vith an unknown and powerful enchantment… Dey confiscated de ship and after even magic couldn't destroy it, dey donated it to Durmstrang to use as transport to de school.'
'And they've never discovered how it was enchanted?' Neville asked curiously.
'Nein, but it vas quite common during the muggle wars vor vixen, particularly muggleborns, to use magic to try to protect deir families.'
'In hindsight, the wording might have been a little vague.' Hermione admitted. Every eye darted towards her, then Theo rolled his eyes.
'It was you?' Neville asked, glancing up as the owls soared into the room, then clearing a space between the porridge and the cold meats favoured by the Durmstrang students when Ragana winged her way towards them.
'It was owned by my ancestor. He thought I was an oceanid, and I'm named after myself, which is all very confusing and best not to think about.' She explained, detaching the letter from her owl's leg. Theo snorted.
'I try not to think about most of that.' The Slytherin muttered. Hermione couldn't help but grimace in agreement - she had some very mixed feelings about much of the past, and Gellert in particular.
'Well, you might have to start.' Ginny observed dryly, offering the copy of the daily prophet that had been dropped in her lap.
Silence fell between the friends as Hermione reached over and took the paper, unfolding it across the table so that they could all read it as they pushed everything aside. Then, with the others leaning in around her shoulders, she finally read the headline.
"Granger, Gorlois or Grindelwald? The true story of Hermione."
We've all heard of her; the darling of the dark wizard Grindelwald, latest in the lost line of Gorlois and brightest witch of her age. But do we actually know her?
The best friend of Harry Potter has always been a figure surrounded by questions - how did she become the ritual blood ward of a criminal imprisoned without visitors since before her birth? How did she become so adept at magic for one apparently raised by muggles? How did she discover her ancient magical ancestry? We've all asked the questions and now, readers, I can finally give you your answers. I have delved into forgotten ministry archives across the world, conducted hundreds of interviews and even sat down with the young lady herself for a long and emotional interview. Let me tell you, dear readers, the story of the Lady of Gorlois is not an easy one.
It starts in the year 1891, when the High Witch (the traditional leader of old magical Germany) Katerina Grindelwald's son brought a young muggleborn girl that he'd met to her office. Noticing the muggleborn's unusual magical compatibility with her son, the Grindelwald matriarch performed a blood ritual to take the girl as her ward - the only way a muggleborn could be accepted into German magical society at the time was if they were the ward of a magical family.
The young girl was Hermione Granger, age 8 and the son; Gellert Grindelwald, aged ten. There are no records of the next year, and very little living memory. The Grindelwald family were reclusive at the best of times and Gellert Grindelwald was thorough in his erasure of Hermione Granger from history.
From the account of the witch herself, however, I can inform you that that first year was nothing short of perfect for the young couple and their matriarch. Hermione smiled wistfully as she recounted lessons with her brother and long afternoon rides. But tragedy soon struck with the attack of little-known-dark-wizard Livius Lucan. His brief reign of terror was ended when Hermione herself was kidnapped and the heroic Gellert Grindelwald killed the dark wizard during the rescue attempt.
But their struggles did not end there. Manipulated by the dark witch Arika Fleiss, Lady Alice Tunninger, Supreme Mugwump 1940-1945 and current head of MISC, challenged the young witch to a duel. I have reached out to the head of MISC for comment.
"Hermione Grindelwald was an entitled little brat, clinging desperately to the tails of their depraved traditions and dictatorial rule. Gellert Grindelwald was a disobedient child with a penchant for meddling in politics above his understanding.' Clearly, readers, the bitterness from that duel has not dulled with time.
The historical account goes that it was around this time that the Revolutionary war kicked back into gear, but I can now confirm that it was actually this duel that triggered it. What followed was a long tale of hardship from the walls of a besieged castle. Several elderly wixen, who refused to be named for fear of retribution from the dark wizard himself, remember that both Grindelwald children were active combatants in the war, including the eventual fall of the coven stronghold - then called Blau Berg and now the site of Nurmengard Prison.
It was during this time that our young heroine of Hogwarts discovered her true lineage through one of the ancient rituals performed by the coven, and she met with the ghosts of her ancestors.
I thought that this would be the end of the tragic tale, but Hermione continued.
In the years of supposed peace following the death of revolution leader Dumortier, there were no less than two assassination attempts on Hermione, both of which would have succeeded without her unique family magic and another upon Gellert Grindelwald. Then, as if the traumatic childhood of these tow children was not enough already, Hermione was again kidnapped, this time by a dark wizard in Russia.
Now this, dear readers, is where it all gets quite confusing. The account shared by the young witch sharply contrasts the historical account that we accept as true. Hermione claims she was captured by a disguised revolutionary wizard, who dressed up as a traditional wizard in a nefarious plot to trick the people into beginning an uprising. What is known for sure is that Gellert Grindelwald was pulled out of school to spend no less than a term fighting in the trenches of the Russian War, which was previously believed to have been where he learned his martial magic. We also know that the war ended with the eventual hangings of all three Baba Yaga and their families, with the exception of Petrovna Yaxley, nee Dolohov.
"Hermione saved my life that night." The elderly, and previously believed mad Petrovna recalls. "Weeks in the prison, then that awful night. I remember the cheering crowd, and the noise as they hung each of my family. She held my hand all the way through, then, just as they put the noose around out necks, she pulled out that awful wizard's sword and chopped his head off. I owe her my life."
Alice Tunninger of MISC denies this account, claiming that the Baba Yaga had performed a dangerous ritual, accidentally unleashing an army of pestilences on the country.
There were then several more attempts on the lives of the coven, which grew steadily fewer in number as members withdrew for their own safety, and others fell victim to the traitorous Arika Fleiss.
Perhaps it is unsurprising, after all the hardship shared between the two children, that Gellert Grindelwald and Hermione of Gorlois entered into a betrothal contract in 1896. I was privileged enough to see the original contract, retrieved from the personal belongings of Gellert Grindelwald himself by the British Ministry of Magic upon his defeat in 1945. Hermione looked close to tears as she held the ancient parchment, then she showed me the pearl necklace that she always wears - she tells me that Gellert Grindelwald had it made from the pearls they found on their first date, scavenging for mussels at the beach of the family summer retreat.
But tragedy was never far away for the young couple. The treachery of Arika Fleiss was soon revealed and the High Witch Katerina Grindelwald was injured in the ensuing fight. Our two young lovers took on the role of the leadership of Germany, but quickly grew apart under the strain of responsibility at such a young age. Hermione refused to speak much on the matter, too taken by emotion, but history tells us that she managed to maintain the guise that all was well within the coven for almost a year whilst Gellert Grindelwald started building his following for a more violent return to the old ways.
Perhaps, if things had gone differently, Hermione Grindelwald may have been able to reason with her brother. Or perhaps she would have been able to stand up against him sooner, fulfilling the traditional Grindelwald duty to protect the people even against their own, as Katerina Grindelwald once stood against her own husband. But it was not to be, because through some magic still being investigated by the Department of Mysteries, Hermione Grindelwald was torn from the year 1898 and reborn to a new set of Grangers, in the year 1988, at the exact age that she met Gellert Grindelwald in 1891.
Was this dark magic? Some sorcery of Gellert Grindelwald? I cannot say, and nor can Hermione. But I, for one, am glad to have met such a remarkable young witch and am glad that we have her. I asked if she would go back to her time, if she could.
"No." Was the surprisingly quick answer. I asked for clarification, and let me tell you, I could feel the weight of her terrible experiences in her reply.
"I am not a seer, like my brother, but I can feel something coming. Possessed teachers, basilisks, an attack on Azkaban and now the entry of my ward into a deadly tournament. It is my duty as both a Gorlois and a Grindelwald to protect the people. Who would face whatever is coming if I went back to my betrothed?"
And that, my readers, is the true Lady Hermione, High Priestess of Gorlois, Ward of House Grindelwald.
Hermione finished reading the lengthly article, which spanned more than three pages, and looked up to see that the rest of the hall had become very quiet as students across the hall read their own copies of the paper.
'Circe, it's something different to see it all in print.' Neville muttered.
'What's in the letter?' Ginny asked, drawing them all out of their contemplative silence. Hermione reached for the forgotten envelope as the younger witch took the paper back.
It turned out to be a letter from Rita Skeeter, explaining that she'd released the article earlier than planned in an attempt to take some of Umbridge's steam. The reporter urged her to check page 5, where what would have been the headline without Rita's intervention had been relegated.
Hermione instructed Ginny to check page 5, and with a rustle of pages the girl complied. She'd barely reached the correct page before she let out a loud gasp and slapped the paper back down on the table. A large picture of Delores Umbridge took up most of the space beneath a large title, like a second front page.
"Ministry Seeks Educational Reform. Delores Umbridge appointed first ever 'high inquisitor'".
'She actually did it?' Theo hissed in disbelief. 'She actually got that bit of rubbish through the Wizengamot?'
'I imagine Malfoy's lot were only too happy to go with it - think about it, who's going to suffer? Us, and Dumbledore.'
'Probably wasn't too hard to talk Mum into it too - well, not Mum because she doesn't use the Prewett seat, but I bet there's other parents on the light bloc that would vote for this.' Ginny waggled the paper.
'Look, they've even gotten Malfoy to comment; "I, for one, am relieved to know that there will finally be some oversight at Hogwarts. Like many parents with their children's best interests at heart, I have been concerned about what news escapes the school, including the blatant rewarding of misbehaviours that endangers other students."' Harry virtually spat the quote, glaring down the table at Draco. His nemesis was preoccupied with reading the article on Hermione, and hadn't seen the look.
'Does it say what a high inquisitor actually does?' Neville asked, leaning over Ginny's shoulder.
'Just that she can inspect the other teachers.' Ginny replied grimly.
'Good. So she hasn't managed to get the rest of it through yet.' Theo concluded, glancing up at the head table. Then he elbowed Hermione in the side and jerked his head in the direction of Umbridge. The new high inquisitor was reading her own copy of the prophet, and it was clear that she was furious. Her cheeks matched the colour of her cardigan and her stubby fingers were clenched so tightly around the paper that it was crinkling.
'Bet she's livid.' Harry noted smugly. 'Her plan to discredit you with that betrothal backfired, and now her decree's been pushed back to fifth page.'
'We don't know if that think with the betrothal had backfired just yet.' Neville pointed out with his usual quiet confidence. He glanced down the table, past where the Durmstrang students were reading their own copies of the paper - clearly the news hadn't broken internationally yet, to the other Slytherins. The quicker readers had finished the article, and were discussing it in low tones, casting furtive glances at Hermione every couple of second.
'I recon they don't know what to think yet.' Ginny suggested. 'I mean, it's not like its something anyone's done before.'
'They're probably trying to decide where you fit into the hierarchy, if you're technically older than a sixth year and betrothed to an ancient house.' Observed Theo, the most experienced among them in Slytherin politics.
'The Gryffindors will be trying to decide if that makes you a threat.' Ginny glanced over towards her brothers, who were indeed huddled over their own paper with several other Gryffindor boys from Harry's year.
'And the Ravenclaws probably want to know how it's happened.' Hermione concluded with a smile. 'But I doubt any of that will be an excuse if we're late for class.'
'I don't know… If the Gryffindors decide you are a threat and they attack you on the way to class…'
'I'd say this proves that she should be able to handle it!' Ginny flapped her folded up paper in Theo's face as she climbed to her feet, swinging her bag over her shoulder.
'Do you think Umbridge will be inspecting anyone today?' Harry asked, looking back up at the teacher's table. Umbridge had disappeared, her breakfast untouched on it's plate.
'I imagine she'd want to get started as soon as possible.'
'I hope I get her for potions.' Ginny breathed, eyes alight as she turned towards the dungeons.
'We've got Binns. Do you think they'd have to exorcise Binns to fire him, or just move the classroom?' Neville looked upwards, as if he could see through the ceiling to see if Umbridge was in his class.
'Probably exorcise him. I mean, he can clearly read still… I wonder how he holds the quill to mark our essays?'
Hermione ignored her friends as they bickered about the practicalities of Binn's teaching, her mind on the article and what she'd need to do about it. A letter to Gellert would certainly be in order… perhaps she could see if she could organise an interview with him for Rita Skeeter - the reporter was quickly becoming a powerful ally for her. She was certain that Rita would appreciate the opportunity, but considering how quickly she was losing Fudge's favour, it might not be possible to arrange such an opportunity.
Then there was the matter of Alice Tunninger being the head of MISC. So far, Hermione hadn't been approached by her old nemesis, nor had she seen any significant political manoeuvring from that quarter. Perhaps, up until now, Alice hadn't actually made the connection between them or perhaps she'd been waiting to see what Hermione did in this new age. The only thing that was certain was that Hermione didn't know enough - she didn't know what has happened to Alice, what experience she might have gained and how time and war had changed her.
She needed to find out.
Just another thing to add to her growing list of burdens and responsibilities.